AGS FIT Newsletter :: 2007 - Special Events at the Annual Scientific Meeting

A Letter from the FIT Chair

"Medical Student Competencies in Geriatric Medicine" By Roseanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD

"Update, for Fellows, on the Resident Recruitment Task Force" By Maura Brennan, MD

"On Telling Someone He Has Alzheimer's" By Jason Karlawish, MD

Call for Nominations for FIT Chair-Elect

Share Your Interest in Geriatrics With Students and Residents Considering the Field

2007-2008 Edition of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips for Handheld Devices Available This Month

Special Events at the AGS Annual Meeting

Survey to Evaluate Fellows' Experiences with ERAS - We Need Your Input

2008 Call for Applications for AGS Committee FIT Representatives

Special Events at the Annual Scientific Meeting

1. Sign Up Now for Annual Meeting Mentoring Program

AGS's highly popular one-on-one Mentoring Program -- sponsored by the Special Interest Group for Junior Research Faculty Development -- returns to the annual meeting in Washington, DC, this spring. The mentoring program is a great opportunity for you to meet with a senior faculty member in geriatrics, learn more about opportunities in the field, and discuss such topics as starting an academic career, locating research funding, and balancing career demands with family life. You and your mentor choose the topics! Completed sign-up forms are due by March 14, 2008.

2. Volunteers Needed to Screen Older Adults for Falls Risks, Answer Questions at "Get Up and Go: A Falls Prevention Program" at Washington DC's Union Station, May 2

AGS' Public Education Committee and the Association of Directors of Geriatric Academic Programs' Education Committee have teamed up to organize a public awareness event concerning falls prevention at Washington, DC's Union Station. Students, residents and fellows-in-training are needed to help screen the public for gait and balance problems, answer questions, and offer educational materials about falls prevention during the May 2, 2008 event.

More than 90,000 people travel through Union Station each day, so we need your help! All volunteers for the event must attend the Skills Workshop Symposium on May 1, 2008 at 12:30 pm. At this session, volunteers will participate in an interactive, hands-on program designed to help develop clinical skills relevant to the care of older adults. Up to 10 different skill stations will be available, one of which will be falls prevention and screening. Register today!

3. The AGS Congressional Visits Program

AGS will be hosting its Congressional Visits Program in connection with the upcoming annual meeting in Washington, DC, April 30 - May 2, 2008. Participants will head to Capitol Hill for previously scheduled meetings with members of Congress and their staff to discuss the Society's legislative objectives. Through personal meetings, AGS members will have the opportunity to familiarize lawmakers and staff with geriatrics, and raise awareness of the importance of ensuring that there are adequate numbers of geriatrics healthcare professionals to care for the nation's aging population. Details on registration will be part of an upcoming listserv announcement. If you have any questions, please contact Alanna Goldstein at 212-308-1414 or agoldstein@americangeriatrics.org.